Back Against Darkness
by KnowingNoMore
Summary: High school AU. After years, Sasuke reunites and moves in with his brother, who lied to him about their parents' death long time ago. Re-starting his life in the little town Konoha, Sasuke is still chased by the darkness that is his hatred, sexuality, and loneliness. And that is when Naruto comes into the picture. Yaoi. Teenage angst. NaruSasu. Ex-KakaSasu. Rating may change.
1. The Color Blue

_**Back Against Darkness**_

 _by_

 _KnowingNoMore_

* * *

 _ **Summary:**_

 _High school AU. Sasuke is torn between restarting his life and shedding off his past. After years, he finally reunites with his brother. Would they be able to resolve the hatred and misunderstanding that haunted them? Being new in town, could Sasuke reach beyond his hard shell and reciprocate what Naruto offers? ANGST. YAOI. Eventual NaruSasu. Ex-KakaSasu._

 _ **Warning:**_

 _Angst. Yaoi. Not your dish? Pray leave. Thank you ;)_

 _Rating may change in the future._

 _ **Disclaimer:**_

 _Naruto belongs to the great MK sensei._

* * *

 _ **I: The Color Blue**_

* * *

1

Droplets of rain splattered against his windshield as he pulled his Volvo into the airport parking lot. The sky was of a dull, grayish blue, adding an even gloomier atmosphere to the already melancholy Friday. Friday wasn't always his favorite, though from now on he could hope for some change since, starting from _today_ , he wouldn't be spending all his weekends alone. Yes, the days of dark living room, heavy old novels and sloppy suppers would soon become bygone memories.

The idea of not being alone bringing him a rush of relief fascinated him. He usually regarded himself as someone who was _good at_ being left alone. He had always been rather secluded. As a child, his early signs of genius made it impossible for him to blend in with peers. Even if he wanted to hide amongst the crowd, his intelligence wouldn't allow it. He always knew before he was told. His mind always took him to the terminus when everyone else was only halfway there.

It was tiring. He couldn't care less to explain information (which he took for granted) to people with baffled faces (this would be the reason why he had lost his previous job, but now he knew better). And truth be told, he would like to have friends and companions ( _no_ , he wouldn't say that he _longed_ for them...because it was not probable); he was also very practical—it was impossible for someone like him to make a bunch of friends, for he was inhumanly cool, far too pragmatic, and an impossibly obsessive-compulsive perfectionist.

He couldn't help smiling when he thought about it. There was at least one good thing—he had a good sense of humor, and whether people understand it or not, he knew when to laugh at himself and made the bad situation bearable. After all, he wasn't Itachi Uchiha for nothing.

2

Inside the airport terminal it was crowded with people and their unnecessary luggage. Itachi picked a quiet site and stood next to a vending machine; he thought that he would be easier to find this way, but he hadn't been worried. He knew that no matter what, _he would be found_. It was somewhat like an instinct. (And, _yes_ , he believed in instinct.)

Ten minutes later, he saw someone approaching him. It was a boy around the age of sixteen, dressing in a plain black turtleneck and dark jeans, with a navy blue backpack hanging loosely on his left shoulder. Itachi recognized the boythe moment his eyes met with the latter's.

Rather than waving at him, Itachi greeted the boy with a simple nod. The boy blinked and looked straight back. Two pairs of coal-dark eyes met one another.

"It's been a long time. You are taller," Itachi said. " _Sasuke._ "

The boy stuck his hands into his pockets and shrugged. Itachi almost smirked. _He did not change at all_ , he thought to himself. _Or did he?_

"Would you like something to drink? I suppose some icy beverage after a long flight would be refreshing. After all, we have another two-hour drive to my place," Itachi gestured the vending machine.

Sasuke looked up, glancing the machine briefly.

"Tomato juice?" Itachi suggested.

"Sure," Sasuke said. And it was the first time after three years Itachi heard his little brother's voice. It had become deeper and a little bit grittier. _Has he been crying over his uncle's untimely death?_ Itachi wondered.

As much as he wanted to look at his brother more closely, Itachi suppressed it and, after buying the juice for Sasuke, started to walk toward the exit; Sasuke followed without a word. Their reunion moment was so brief that Itachi couldn't tell whether Sasuke was glad, or upset to be here. But it was though his little brother's skill of masking emotion had become just as good as his. It wasn't something Itachi was happy to see. He had received the phone call only a month ago, informing him his uncle (and, once, his guardian) Obito's sudden death and that Sasuke would be staying with him. Sasuke had then written him some short e-mails telling Itachi that he had chosen to move in with him instead of with some distant relatives, even if it meant that he would have to transfer to a new high school and settle down in a new town.

Three years. Three long years since they last saw each other. Itachi wondered if anything between them had changed. The last time they saw each other it was at an airport, too. Itachi was leaving for graduate school. Sasuke was there with Obito and they stood there watching him walk away. Itachi had noticed the way Sasuke's black eyes smolder...

"Oi," a voice called him back to reality.

"Yes?" Itachi stopped and looked back.

"You live alone in that small town…what's its name?" Sasuke was asking.

"Yes, it's called _Konoha_. I don't exactly live _in_ the town. It's more like the outskirts of Konoha."

Sasuke nodded and replied with a noise made by his nose.

"I guess it's been hard for you these days?" Itachi asked, walking up to his parked car.

"Not really," Sasuke said with a blank face, getting in the car after Itachi. "Uncle Obito died in his sleep. I suppose that's a good thing."

Itachi didn't know if the words were meant to be bitter, or it was his imagination again.

"He was always healthy, and was only in his mid-forties..." he sighed.

"Yeah, he was."

"He was an athletic man," Itachi said, and then, "You seem very athletic, too," he added.

"Hn," Sasuke blushed faintly and Itachi smiled again. Since he had memories, he had been very good at making his little brother self-conscious. Sasuke had always made it too easy. The fact that this little thing hadn't changed much suddenly made Itachi felt a little bit warm.

It fell back into silence again. Itachi turned on the radio. The rain had gotten heavier, and the loud noise brought a cold feeling down Itachi's gut, mixing with the previous warm sensation and cooling it down.

"How about school? Aren't you worried about transferring to a new high school?" Itachi asked.

"No," Sasuke deadpanned.

"Why?"  
"School work doesn't worry me," Sasuke said nonchalantly. "It's easy."

"I wasn't talking about your school work," Itachi said. "You are going to have to adjust to new surroundings."

Sasuke didn't say anything, so Itachi continued. "You have to part with friends, and make new acquaintances."

"I don't have friends," was all Sasuke said.

3

Itachi got out of the car and waited for Sasuke, who gathered his belongings and silently got out as well. Itachi started to walk toward the two-story house.

"You live alone in this place?" He heard his brother asking, a hint of surprise in his voice.

"Yes," Itachi replied. "It's my house. It's not rented, if that's what you're asking."

"You're well-off on your own," Sasuke stated plainly.

"I guess you could say that," Itachi said good-humoredly.

They stopped at the front porch, waiting for Itachi to open the door. When Itachi walked into the house, he could feel something different—something had changed. He couldn't quite describe it. He was never with someone else in this house (the short visits of Kisame or Nagato doesn't count); he never had someone stayed overnight.

He didn't need to turned the lights on to find the door to the living room. For a moment, he kept walking in the dark, until he heard Sasuke's voice again.

"Are you going to turn on the light or not?"

"Ah, yes." He remembered. The long hallway was suddenly lit. He watched as Sasuke glanced at the beige wall decorated with some framed postmodern artworks. He then led the way to the living room, which was behind the first door on the left side.

Sasuke followed him into the large living area and dumped his bag on one of the black leather couch.

"Now I'm going to prepare for dinner. You could come with me, or stay here and watch the television."

.:.

He was frying fish when Sasuke sneaked into the kitchen. He said 'sneak' because Sasuke was quiet and stealthy as a cat. He turned to gaze at his brother, who seemed very out-of-place, and smiled gently.

"Bored?" He guessed.

"By the news. There aren't anything new, if you think about it," Sasuke said. _Or, was he grimacing?_

"I don't think it's the right way to put it. The events may be similar, but they are new occurrences."

"You just have to prove me wrong," Sasuke smirked slightly, and all of a sudden it was very familiar to something they used to have—he and Sasuke, arguing over small, trivial things.

Itachi smiled and turned back to the pan and the fish. It had started to smell very delicious.

He'd liked to have more conversation with his brother.

"There are two guest rooms upstairs," he said. "You can make one of them yours."

Sasuke nodded. Itachi knew because he glanced back when he didn't hear a reply. His brother had become rather stoic. Itachi thought about it and sighed. It was expected, but he didn't like it. He had hoped that after all these years, Sasuke would progress into someone more communicative.

.:.

"So, how are you, Sasuke?"

The younger brother looked up from his plate, continuing to chew on his food and looking slightly confused.

"I'm fine," he said.

"It was hard for you."

"It was okay," Sasuke said, with some emphasis.

"Uncle Obito died."

"Yes he did," Sasuke agreed. "What exactly do you want to say?"

"Nothing. I just wasn't expecting you with such calmness..." Itachi pressed.

Sasuke's face went blank.

Itachi studied his brother's face. He had grown up, a lot. He was still about two inches shorter than Itachi, but he wasn't a boy anymore. His shoulder broadened, his frame lean but wiry. His face was still smooth and pale, still somewhat resembled a girl's. But Sasuke would never be mistaken for a girl, something in his expression would always tell.

He had become more good-looking. No way to deny that. It was in the Uchiha genes.

"What?" Sasuke frowned.

"Nothing," Itachi smiled. It was good to have his brother back.

.:.

It was hard to tell from Sasuke, so Itachi had to guess and deduce.

He guessed the dinner was fine, since Sasuke sat on the couch the rest of the night and didn't move much. He could only assume it was because his brother had have too much to eat despite his obvious tiredness after the long flight.

He could also safely assume that Sasuke found the house comfortable and the hot bath comforting, for Sasuke spent quality time in the bathroom and when he came out, Itachi found his younger brother with relaxed expression and gait.

But he had to worry about Sasuke's life before he came here. Had he been eating properly? Had he been sleeping well? Had their uncle taken good care of him? He used to write letters to Sasuke regularly, but Sasuke never replied. Their correspondence stopped long time ago.

He watched Sasuke's back as he walked toward the guest rooms. For a brief moment, Itachi wanted to follow him and just asked him those question, or, no, just put his hand on his brother's shoulder, making sure that he was there at all. Maybe Sasuke would tremble and all of his shell would shattered beneath the touch.

Sasuke closed the door behind him, leaving Itachi standing on the empty hallway. Itachi turned off the light. He knew the way in the house. He didn't need any light.

4

Sasuke walked into his new room. It was a cozy room furnished in the similar fashion as the rest of the house—simple, neat, and elegant. The wall was painted in light blue instead of beige, which was probably why Sasuke chose it; blue was his favorite color ever since he was little (even thought he like navy blue better). There was a couple of floor-to-ceiling window leading to a small terrace, but the view was currently blocked by purple curtains. There were a double bed, a desk, a chair, and even an armchair by the windows. And bookshelves. The walls were lined up with bookshelves. It was also a main reason why Sasuke liked this room. There would be plenty of room for him to store his books. He had to part with his collection of books coming here since he didn't feel like bringing a lot of stuff with him, and the burdens of memories that came with those things. He wanted a fresh restart. But, still, he knew the bookshelves would soon be filled up.

Presently he sat on the bed and removed his shoes, placing them at the foot of the bed. He stripped to only a pair of sweatpants and crawled under the covers. For a while he just stared at the ceiling; it was a strange feeling—not in the bed and the surrounding he were so used to, and knowing that he would never go back to that place ever again.

But he didn't care. All he cared right now was that he had survived, another day. Tomorrow was another new step forward, and he would keep that in mind.

 _(tbc)_

* * *

 _Hi, readers._

 _If you enjoyed the chapter, please kindly leave a review :)_

 _The second chapter will be up in a minute._


	2. Traces of Yesterday

**II: Traces Of Yesterday**

* * *

1

He had thought that maybe he would be tossing and turning all night, but it turned out to be a dreamless night. No nightmares plaguing his shadowed mind. He slept well.

It was morning again. Pushing aside the heavy curtains and glancing at the faraway hills out of his window, Sasuke saw no trace of yesterday.

It was good.

.:.

After putting on a white button-down shirt over a dark blue t-shirt and his black jeans, Sasuke left his new bedroom and entered the kitchen.

Itachi was there, baking toasts and frying eggs. He was dressed as yesterday—a simple wool jacket over a sweatshirt and a pair of khaki pants. Yesterday, when Sasuke first spotted Itachi at the airport, it was as if his older brother had not changed a bit over the years. Itachi had always worn that contemplating expression and cold, graceful posture, which used to annoy Sasuke to no end. But, to be honest, he had adopted those features from his brother as well.

"Good morning, Sasuke," Itachi said; he wasn't smiling, but his voice was gentle.

"Good morning," Sasuke replied stiffly. This time, Itachi smiled.

"I prepared breakfast."

"I see," Sasuke glanced at the island.

Itachi set a plate down on the island. "Why don't you take a seat?"

Sasuke sat down and grabbed a fork.

"I saw your luggage yesterday," Itachi said. "Do you have anything else sent on the way ?"

"No," Sasuke shook his head.

Itachi looked slightly surprised. Sasuke bit his lip; he was smirking inwardly. He could tell that Itachi didn't understand why he was here. The way Itachi's eyes kept flickering at him was starting to irritate him. He could smell Itachi's care, feeling those scrutinizing eyes on him trying to pry about his business. And, no, he didn't like it at all. But he felt that he was winning, because he had succeed at making Itachi puzzled.

"You will be enrolling in Konoha High," Itachi said. "It's a small school. It would be quite different from your last school."

"I'm not worried," Sasuke said.

"I see," Itachi said, setting plates of bacon and eggs down. "I can drive you to school next Monday."

"You don't need to."

"I have to go to work anyway," Itachi said.

"All right."

"What do you want to do today?" Itachi asked, sitting down.

Sasuke didn't reply.

"Let me see," Itachi said. "You don't have other luggage. Maybe we should get in town and get you some clothes and other supplies. And I can show you around the town."

Sasuke glanced up from his plate. "Whatever's fine by me."

.:.

The drive into town was short and quiet. The Uchiha brothers did not mind the silence, though.

Itachi was still observing his brother. Sasuke's profile did not show emotion of any kind. Itachi decided that he had to accept _that_ for now. In fact, none of their family members had been talkative or spontaneous. _But Sasuke was too cold for his age_ , Itachi thought. And then he bitterly remembered what he himself had been when he was Sasuke's age, and he couldn't help but smiled.

They saw the worn sign by the road with _'Welcome to Konoha, population 48,173'_. Sasuke emitted a thoughtful 'hmm' by Itachi's side.

"What is it?"  
"Small town," Sasuke said.

"Yeah, sure is," Itachi smiled.

"People recognize each other in a small place like this." Sasuke's voice was dour. "They probably have heard of the name of Uchiha."

"Yes, some of them do," Itachi said neutrally.

Sasuke raised his eyebrow as if asking ' _and you're fine with it_ '?

Itachi noted Sasuke's questioning look. _So my foolish little brother is still bothered by his family name_ , he thought. _He's a boy after all_. And somehow, the thought brought him some peace of mind.

.:.

Itachi watched his little brother picking up books randomly and then set them back onto the display shelves. They had already been to the clothes department and the food department of the mall. Now they were at their last stop.

"I've already got this," Itachi said when Sasuke picked up a hardcover.

Sasuke put the book back.

Itachi noted Sasuke's book selection. History. Science. Psychology. Philosophy.

"You don't read novels?" Itachi asked, amused.

"No," Sasuke said. "I don't read _fiction_ ," he corrected.

"You've certainly missed a lot of good things," Itachi said.

"I doubt that." Sasuke muttered.

"You used to be a fan of _The Lord Of The Rings_ when you're little."

"That was like when I was eight."

"You could even recite some of it."

"I said, that was when I was a kid."

"Sometimes I think, when we grow up, it doesn't necessarily mean that the child part of us died."

Instantly he regretted it ( _and he didn't usually do that_ ). Sasuke's face darkened.

"How do you know? Maybe some of us did."

Then he walked away from Itachi.

2

They had lunch at the mall. The rest of the afternoon, Itachi drove Sasuke around the town. They drove past the town hall, the Hokage square, the history museum. They even went to the Konoha High School so Sasuke could take a look at his new school. It was very small indeed.

Conversations were hard ever since they shopped at the bookstore. Itachi tried several times but always ended up with Sasuke scowling. The elder brother only sighed. After all, the boy had lost his uncle, his guardian for the last eight years, just weeks ago, adding yet another scar to his mind. It was unlikely for Sasuke to open up to even his brother. Itachi shouldn't get his hopes too high.

...Yeah, he shouldn't.

.:.

Soon, it was night again and Itachi was sitting in his room. He was thinking. It was past twelve o'clock and he knew that he should be sleeping, but he couldn't shake the image of Sasuke's gloomy face off his head. Instead of lying down, he got up and put on his wool jacket, heading toward Sasuke's room.

The room was at the end of the hallway, on the second floor as well as Itachi's own bedroom. The mahogany door of Sasuke's room looked uninviting under the faint light. Itachi knocked. Twice.

"Come in." Sasuke's impassive voice said.

Itachi opened the door. Sasuke was sitting in the armchair by the windows, _The Myth of Sisyphus_ **(1)** in his hands.

Itachi instantly smiled. "I thought that you don't enjoy fiction."

"This isn't fiction."

"Or maybe I should say, a person who don't enjoy fiction finding the book interesting amuses me."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "I suppose you didn't come to discuss my choice of books with me."

"No, I didn't."

"Then what do you want?" Sasuke's tone wasn't necessarily harsh, and it somehow encouraged Itachi.

"I'm just checking on you...as an older brother would."

"I hardly need your concern. I'm no child of eight."

"Is everything okay?"

"What do you mean?" Sasuke squinted.

"Are you comfortable with your new room?"

"Hn," Sasuke shrugged.

"I'm going to make myself some hot tea, and since you're not sleeping yet...would you like some?"

Sasuke clutched his book, hesitating.

"C'mon, if you couldn't sleep, this would certainly help you. I have fruit tea; no caffeine."

"…I was going to sleep," the younger boy muttered.

Itachi's eyes darted to the bed, where the covers were messy—Sasuke had clearly been lying on bed, but somehow had gotten out of it a while ago.

"Your were about to sleep," Itachi said softly. "And then you couldn't, so you got up and picked a book to read."

Sasuke frowned.

"I was right?" Itachi smiled.

"Sure, _Holmes_ ," Sasuke retorted sarcastically.

"I was just…prone to notice details."

"You don't need to explain yourself. I will forgive you."

Itachi quietly chuckled. He remembered that he always said 'forgive me, Sasuke' after he upset his little brother when they were younger. And it seemed that Sasuke remembered that just as well. Maybe he should take this for a sign of improvement between him and Sasuke?

As he leisurely descended the staircase, Sasuke followed him.

"You couldn't sleep?" Sasuke suddenly asked.

"You can say that," Itachi replied. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't true either. He could sleep, but he didn't like the idea of leaving Sasuke alone and awake in his new bedroom reading heavy thoughts from some books. The boy had been through too much already, the last thing he needed now would be adding worries on his list.

"Do you always have insomnia, Sasuke?"

"…Not really," Sasuke shrugged. "Just…sometimes…" He avoided Itachi's gaze, and then added quickly, "The room's cozy." It was a compliment.

"I ordered all the bed sheets to be washed, just before you arrived." Itachi smiled in his mind.

"Hm."

"So, which one would you like? No caffeine, right? How about rose tea?" As soon as they were in the kitchen, Itachi opened a cabinet and took out the box where he kept all sorts of tea bags.

Surprisingly, Sasuke let out a chuckle.

"What?"

"Rose tea?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah, I shouldn't be surprised."

"What is it about rose tea? The flavor is relaxing."

"Sure. What else do you have?"

"Mint, peach, raspberry?"

"Mint, please," Sasuke said, and went to sit beside the island. There was a bowl of tomato on the table, the boy reached for it.

Itachi filled the kettle with water.

"Do you often have guests around?" Sasuke asked. "Your tea options are…abundant."

"Sometimes," Itachi said, turning around to gaze at Sasuke. "My colleagues would come and discuss cases with me."

"I thought you work alone."

"I prefer to work alone, yes. But in the workshop I work for, they value teamwork. And my colleagues aren't that bad to work with."

"What's its name again? The place you work for?"

"…Akatsuki Architecture Workshop."

"Oh, right. I remember seeing its ad somewhere back at OTo."

"How about you, Sasuke? Do you have in mind what would you like to do after you graduate?"

Sasuke grimaced. "...Everybody's asking me this question. I guess I'm tired."

"Don't let the question stress you."

"I used to…" Sasuke began, then closed his mouth.

"What is it?"

"…Never mind."

"You can tell me," Itachi said very softly.

Sasuke hesitated. "…Used to want to work for the police department,," he said with a bitter, aslant smirk, which didn't look like a smirk anymore.

"…Just like father…"

"Yeah," Sasuke agreed. "But not anymore."

Itachi nodded and said nothing.

"It would be nice…" Sasuke muttered. "To just do what we like to do, right? Do you enjoy what you do, Itachi?"

"Yes, I think," Itachi answered after a few seconds of contemplation.

Sasuke returned to stare at the bowl of tomato. And Itachi still kept his eyes on the little brother. Sasuke was wearing an oversized sweatshirt with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The shirt was so big that it left part of Sasuke's left shoulder exposed. The light in the kitchen was faint, Itachi squinted. _Were those scars on Sasuke's left forearm? And…was that another scar on his left shoulder?_

"Sasuke," Itachi stepped forward.

Sasuke turned around, noting Itachi's lingering gaze on his left shoulder. He pulled the collar of his shirt higher, concealing what looked like three comas forming a shape of circle in black ink.

"Is that…"

"'S just a tattoo," Sasuke said wearily.

"When did you get it?"

"Back in Oto, about a year ago?"

Itachi couldn't help but stared at his younger brother. It wasn't like that he wanted to scold his brother or something; he wasn't trying to be conservative, even though he was sure that Sasuke was too young to get a tattoo. It was just that…yesterday, Sasuke was still this innocent little boy in his memory, and now he was this teenager with a face so hard and blank that was difficult to steal a glance of what was behind it. If their parents were still alive, they would certainly be mad…they wouldn't understand. However, it seemed that Uncle Obito was fine with it.

"Did Obito know about it?" Itachi frowned.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "C'mon, the man didn't know where I was half of the time."

The water boiled; the kettle screamed. Itachi turned off the gas. So Obito didn't care much about Sasuke…his guesses were right. During the years, he only spent little time of his vacation with Sasuke and Obito, and that was only until he was thirteen; then he left for college.

"I wasn't going to scold you," Itachi sighed, pouring the boiled water into the cups.

"Well, saves me the trouble," Sasuke said in nonchalance.

Itachi placed the cup of mint tea before Sasuke, and sat down next to him.

"Why don't you like fiction?" he tried to initiate another conversation.

"Why are you obsessed with that topic?" Sasuke snorted.

"…Because I'm curious?"

"Well, those aren't real."

"But you know, people write what they have experienced, and their belief and passion. Those _are_ real."

"I don't care about their experiences."

"Then why philosophy? Those are thought processes. I think they count as experiences as well."

"You're annoying," Sasuke closed his eyes.

"I wasn't arguing with you. Just curious."

"…Well, I just hate to read about other people's lives."

"Wouldn't you think they're similar?"

"Similar?"

"People's lives. Your life. They could have something in common."

"Mine contains enough shit for me to worry about. That's what I know."

.:.

Itachi made sure that Sasuke went to bed shortly after they had tea in the kitchen. And then he was able to fall asleep as well.

The rest of the weekend went swiftly, except of one little incident. In the afternoon of Sunday, Sasuke went to the backyard to answer a phone call. Itachi didn't want to eavesdrop, but it had gotten quite loud. If he didn't mistake, Sasuke was almost yelling at the phone.

"… _Do I seem okay to you? I don't understand where you got that impression…_."

Itachi frowned at Sasuke's words. He was in his study, and through the window he could see his little brother. Sasuke was walking around in anxious pace, and was only dressed in a shirt…he must went out in a hurry. Why did he have to go to the backyard to answer that call? Certainly he didn't want Itachi to hear the contents.

"… _Kakashi, I don't think it'll work…_ "

There was a name. Kakashi. Was that a man? Was it Sasuke's friend?

"… _Don't try to come here. I told you_ already _that I still need some time…and_ space _, and you're not giving me space. And stop texting me. Stop calling me, too._ "

It seemed that Sasuke was desperately trying to avoid this Kakashi. Itachi watched his little brother clutch the phone tightly in one hand, the other hand on his chest as he let out a heavy sigh.

The argument almost sounded like one between a couple.

Maybe it was.

The furrow between Itachi's brows deepened.

"… _Yeah, yeah. I know,_ " Sasuke said in a cold, even voice, but his body was shaking badly. " _…Next time, maybe, Kakashi. Gotta go_."

He hung up, and then suddenly crouched down. Itachi straightened up, concerned. Sasuke held his knees close to his chest, still shivering…from cold? Or from…

Itachi couldn't know, because Sasuke started to run. Soon he was out of Itachi's sight. The elder brother felt his chest tightened. There was nothing but a road and forrest around the house.

But Sasuke was sixteen, not thirteen, and most certainly not _eight_. He could find his way back to the house on his own.

There was nothing Itachi could do.

So he sighed and sat down again. Staring at the blueprint on his desk, Itachi felt his thoughts hang heavy in his head. He was glad that Sasuke was back…by his side. But it seemed that Sasuke brought troubles along with him as well. Itachi still had no idea what they were…but they weren't easy to solve.

That was for sure.

 _(tbc)_

* * *

 _I'm bad with promise and commitment. So if I'm inspired, I'll keep on writing. If I'm not, well then...sorry._

 _The good thing is that the first few chapters are already done, so I'll at least upload them on a regular basis._

 _Thank you for reading, and reviews are ALWAYS WELCOMED. (not flames...)_

 _Naruto enters in chapter three._


	3. Snakes and Hidden Desires

**III: Snakes And Hidden Desires**

* * *

1

Sasuke stood before the mirror, adjusting the blue-and-yellow striped tie around his collar. He had his uniform customized for him, so they fit him more than just well. He hated it when the uniform looked baggy on a person. In manga and anime, school regalia always looked good and dashing, but not in real life.

There was a beep coming from his phone. Sasuke put on his midnight blue school jacket. Sighing, he picked up the phone from his bedside table.

A message.

 _Morning, Sasuke. Sorry for yesterday's call. I shouldn't have called. But you should know that I'm just worried about you. You never said anything before you left. I was surprised is all. Kakashi_

And another message from yesterday that Sasuke hadn't bothered to check. It was from Orochimaru.

 _Sasuke dear, how are you? How's Konoha? Boring little place with fresh air? Fresh air and mountains are probably the only things Oto can't provide. Lucky you. Me and Kabuto miss you very much. Happy reuniting with your elder brother Itachi? Oh, I'm interested in him. Write me back when you have free time. Sincerely yours, Orochimaru_

Sasuke snorted. " _Sincerely yours?_ My ass." He deleted the message right away. Hesitating for a moment, he deleted Kakashi's as well.

.:.

Sasuke's face looked particularly tensed today.

Itachi regarded his little brother's profile as the latter settled down in the seat next to him in car.

"It's just high school," Itachi said gently, turning the wheels. The house soon disappeared from their sight.

"It's worse. It's the _first_ day."

"Oh? You hate those _'introduce yourself, Mr. Uchiha'_ kind of things?" Itachi raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah."

"' _Tell us about the town you're from'_?"

"And those, too."

"You have the right to remain silent, you know."

"And they will think I'm weird. Thanks."

Itachi smirked. "You're worried that people would think you're weird?"

"Yeah, it's every teenager's nightmare. Don't you think so?"

Itachi chuckled. He didn't know if Sasuke was really worried about it, or was being sarcastic, or maybe both. Either way, he was amused.

"Be yourself, then."

"Wow, you sound like those inspiring graduation speech."

Itachi was about to nod and agree when he recalled something distant from his memory.

 _(…He was thirteen…the rain was pouring…he—the honored student—had just given a speech on his graduation…_

… _Waiting in the rain, Itachi knew that something was wrong, because his parents hadn't showed up amongst the audience back in the auditorium. Itachi gazed up at the darkened sky, feeling vulnerable as the icy fear wallowing in his stomach…)_

"…Were you able to _be yourself_ when you're in high school?" Sasuke was asking in an interrogating way.

Itachi blinked. The memory vanished like smoke. Good, because he didn't want to think about it right now.

Itachi Uchiha? Being _himself_? In this world? In this era?

"No, I don't think so," Itachi smiled slightly.

Sasuke glanced at him suspiciously.

"It's true, Sasuke. But it doesn't mean that you have to do the same."

"Don't flatter yourself," Sasuke pouted. "Your opinion doesn't mean much to me."

This time, Itachi laughed genuinely.

"What?" Sasuke growled.

"…Nothing."

"Did I say something funny?"

"No." Itachi kept the smile on his face. "But seriously, Sasuke, wind down a bit. It can be frustrating to you since you might be ahead of your peers, but it doesn't mean that you need to force yourself to become what you are not."

"Thanks, Mr. Intelligent."

"You're welcome, my foolish little brother."

Sasuke appeared to be scowling again. But from the corner of his eyes, Itachi saw that Sasuke had a faint smirk on his lips.

2

Sasuke first went to the staff's lounge to meet his homeroom teacher, Yamato, a man in his mid-thirties with queer-looking eyes. Yamato was drinking coffee and reading paper on a recliner leisurely.

"Ah, you must be Sasuke." He showed a candid smile. "The first period is about to start, I want to introduce you to the class. Are you ready?"

Sasuke didn't know what to reply. "Hn, yes?"

Yamato gulped down the remaining coffee in his mug. "Let's go. The classroom is just down the hallway."

"Where's the teachers' office?" Sasuke asked.

"Oh, we don't have such place. This is our office—if you insist on calling it an office. If I'm not in a class, I'm usually here, so are other teachers."

Sasuke glanced around, but the room was empty besides him and Yamato, and a bunch of worn couches and tables with mugs on them. The man stood up and grabbed an old leather suitcase. "Shall we go?"

"Yeah, sure," Sasuke said.

So he followed Yamato to the hallway.

"You came from Oto, right?" Yamato asked. "It's a big city, huh? I used to live there, for about…three years, to pursue the career of acting."

Acting? This man? Sasuke glanced at him doubtfully.

Yamato laughed. "Is it so hard to believe me? Yeah, it's true. I was born and raised in Konoha, just like most of our students…but it wouldn't hurt for a young man to dream, right? I never regret my little adventure."

They arrived at the doorway of Sasuke's new class. Itachi was right. He needed to wind down.

But he really hated it.

Yamato had already stepped into the room. Reluctantly, Sasuke followed.

To his relief, the classroom was small, about half the size of the ones back at his old high school. There were about twenty students…no, he didn't think there were even twenty, maybe seventeen? Eighteen?

"Morning, class," Yamato greeted the students. Some of them were sitting together in small groups, chatting, while some of them were reading or doing assignments in their own seats. But they all looked up when they heard Yamato. When their gaze fell upon Sasuke, low murmurs erupted. Sasuke nearly winced.

"This is the boy I told you about, guys," Yamato said. "Sasuke, could you please introduce yourself?"

 _Here came the part he hated the most._ Sasuke took a deep breath, his face still perfectly placid.

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha," he said. The class's chatter died down into silence. "I came from Oto."

The students were still quiet, as if still waiting for him to say something else.

"…That's all I have to say," Sasuke glanced at Yamato.

"Tell us more about yourself, Sasuke," Yamato said, looking expectant. "What is Oto like? And which subject you enjoy the most? What do you usually do on your free time?"

Sasuke couldn't understand why people insisted on knowing these useless facts about him, but he guessed that he had to answer them. He sighed inwardly.

"Oto has one of the highest crime rate in the country. It's densely populated, contrasting with Konoha." he deadpanned. "I don't enjoy any subject at school. I usually do a bit reading on my free time. And listening to music."

Yamato still hadn't given up. "Oh, really? What do you like to read, Sasuke?"

"Non-fictions."

Judging from the subjects Yamato taught—which were Literature and Drama—he knew more about fictions then non-fictions. Sasuke hoped that the man could stop already. But Yamato just smiled. "You said that you like music, do you have a favorite band, Sasuke?"

 _Tell them something unfamiliar and maybe they will lose interest in him._ "Yeah, _Joy Division_?"

Great, Yamato looked lost.

Sasuke could've said _the Beatles_ , _Queen_ , or _Nirvana_ , but more conversation with Yamato? No, thanks.

"So, uh, do you guys have any questions for Sasuke?"

A girl in the front row raised her hand.

"Why did you move to Konoha, Sasuke?" she asked.

Yamato and Sasuke exchanged a look. The teacher knew the reason why Sasuke was here, because Itachi had told him when he was going through the transfer formalities.

"Sasuke moved into town due to some family matters," Yamato forced out a smile. "Now…I have other things to announce, so…Sasuke, take a seat, please."

Sasuke heaved out a breath, finally.

.:.

The high school was only a single building of five floors. And every student and staff seemed to know each other. Sasuke could tell that wherever he went, everyone recognized him as the new student (or would _the new boy in town_ sound more proper?). This wasn't good. But it was the first day, and the worst day. Everything would surely get better, right?

"Excuse me, I'm looking for Classroom 301, do you know where it is?"

Sasuke tapped the shoulder of a blond boy who was passing by. He had already looked through every sign on the third floor, but there was no 301. Strange.

The student turned. "301? Oh, it's outside. 'S on the patio."

There was, indeed, an inner courtyard on the third floor, which Sasuke hadn't checked.

"Thanks," Sasuke said.

"Art?" The boy who answered Sasuke's question asked.

"...What?"

"Your next period is Art, right?" The boy said. "Me too."

Sasuke nodded.

The boy grinned. "I remember now, you're the new student. What's your name again?"

"Sasuke."

"Hi, Sasuke," he winked. ( _Man, do people still do that these days?_ ) "I'm Naruto."

Naruto reached out a hand, and Sasuke stared at it.

"I wash my hand," Naruto said. "If that's what you're worrying about."

"Good," Sasuke simply said, and went past him toward the terrace.

"Hey!" He could hear Naruto calling at his back. "We can go together!"

"It's only three steps away," Sasuke called back.

When he felt Naruto catching up on him, he shot him an unwelcoming look.

"How come you sound like you know much better than me when you're the new guy here? And you just asked me for direction!" Naruto exclaimed, trotting beside him.

Sasuke intended to ignore the boy, but the latter didn't seem to mind, or notice.

The bell rang. So they started to jog toward the classroom.

301 was an oval chamber with a giant ceiling window that allowed the classroom to shimmer under sunlight—when it was a sunny day, of course, and today happened to be one.

When Sasuke and Naruto entered the classroom, most of the seats were occupied. There were about five ovoid tables; each of them was surrounded by four to five chairs. Sasuke had no choice but to take a seat next to Naruto in the back corner of the room. The teacher hadn't arrived yet.

"Teacher Kurenai said she'll be late!" A girl suddenly announced. "For about half an hour! She has a meeting to attend."

After the announcement, the classroom was filled with chatter again.

There were two other boys at their table: a lazy-looking guy with a high ponytail and another chubby boy that seemed like his friend.

"Hey, Shikamaru, Chouji," Naruto greeted the two boys and tossed his backpack down the floor in a careless manner. Sasuke glanced down at the orange book bag, feeling slightly sorry for it. He hung his navy blue bag on the back of his chair, along with his jacket.

"Hi, Naruto." The chubby boy, Chouji, smiled amiably. "Do you have your homework with you?"

"What? Homework?" Naruto sounded surprised. "Darn it, I forgot."

"Guessed so," Chouji laughed.

"What is it about?" Naruto frowned. "Maybe I can do something about it."

"You have to finish it with your partner," Chouji said. "Do you have a partner?"

Naruto gaped. "...No. Now I remember why I can't recall anything about the assignment. I skipped the class last week."

Shikamaru, who hadn't said anything since they sat down, sighed. "You're naught but trouble, Naruto."

"Um, thanks?" Naruto frowned. "Guys, you gotta help me out. Tell me what to do!"

"What do I have in return?" Chouji asked.

"I'll treat you to all-you-can-eat barbecue!"

"Okay, then," Chouji grinned. "First, you gotta have a partner. And then you two tell each other a dream you had. Based on your dreams, you complete an illustration. Like this."

Choji showed Naruto an A4 paper with what seemed like clouds and potato chips painted on it. "This is our dreams."

"I bet I can finish one like that right now," Naruto said.

"But you gotta have a partner first," Choji said. "And all of us had our partners already."

Sasuke had been listening to their conversation absent-mindedly. And before he realized what was happening, Naruto turned to him.

"Would you be my partner, Sasuke?" He looked at the dark-haired boy expectantly.

Sasuke suddenly noticed that Naruto had very blue, _blue_ eyes.

"Please?" Naruto added, his eyes glowing.

Sasuke didn't know how to react. Honestly, he didn't want to be Naruto's partner, and he didn't like the idea of sharing his dream with a boy he barely knew.

But Naruto's _azure_ eyes—the word _azure_ popped up out of nowhere in Sasuke's brain—were glimmering. Sasuke didn't know how to say _no_ to them.

"...Okay," he uttered.

Naruto let out a cheer of joy and put an arm around Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke jumped and shoved him away, which Naruto didn't seem to mind.

"Alright, let's get on with it," Naruto said, pulling out a notebook (which, Sasuke noted, was orange; _just how much did the boy love that godforsaken color?_ ) and tearing a page off. He put the sheet of paper on the tabletop between him and Sasuke.

"I'll go first," Naruto volunteered. "I had this dream last Friday. I was knocking on a door, but it didn't open. And nobody came to answer it, either. So I walked around the house and I realized, gee, it's my old home, where I used to live with my parents. And then I peeked from a window, and I saw my mom, and my dad, and...there was me, too. Not _me_ , but...what seemed like a younger version of me. And I couldn't believe my eyes. And I when I started to yell and knock on the door kinda violently."

Sasuke watched the blond boy's profile as he narrated his dream. He couldn't help but noticed that the boy had fine, tanned skin that looked very healthy and... _good_. Despite the fact that the boy seemed to have everything about him orange, Sasuke had to admit that orange _did_ suit him, after all. It must be his so very blond hair and so very blue eyes, then. _Wait_ , he should pay more attention to the dream, not the boy's appearance.

"...Finally the door opened. It was my mom who answered it. She looked at me as if she didn't recognize me, like I was a hooligan or something. And then it occurred to me that she didn't recognize me because I grew up a lot. So she had never seen me before."

Sasuke squinted.

"My parents died when I was six years old," Naruto explained.

"I'm sorry," Sasuke muttered stiffly.

"It's alright," Naruto said. "I live with my stepfather now. I'm happy that I'm not alone, which sucks. I should finish my story...I mean my dream. So I tried to explain it to my mom, but she wouldn't listen. And she shut the door in my face. I didn't give up, though. I grabbed a stick and tried to destroy the door, but it was like it's made of steel. I started to shout really loud...and woke up."

Sasuke stared at him quietly. Should he make a comment of some sort? It sounded like a bad dream.

"A nightmare?" He asked.

"Well...I don't know," Naruto shrugged. "Mostly I have pleasant dreams, but I can't seem to remember anything about them except that they were good. I remember nightmares better."

"Oh."

"Your turn," Naruto glanced at him. The fact that Naruto didn't seem disturbed when talking about his deceased parents and nightmares made Sasuke feel a bit impressed.

"Hm. I can't really think of anything..."

"C'mon, I finished my part. It's your turn now," Naruto grinned. "Tell me one of your dreams, man. Whichever is alright."

Sasuke tried hard to remember his dreams. But it was difficult. He had a lot of bad dreams lately, and he fought to forget every one of them.

But there must be something...something he still remembered...

"...There..." he began. "There was this dream...in the dream I had two iron boxes under my bed. I don't know how I came to know about them, I just do. I opened the boxes, in which I found snakes. There were snakes crawling in those boxes, under my mattress, the very place I slept."

Naruto looked at him with his eyes wide open, as if he was listening to some ghost story. Sasuke couldn't help but find the other boy's expression sort of comical.

"...It's a dream," he gently reminded Naruto.

"I know," the latter said. "But it's creepy."

"Let me continue, would you?" Sasuke said. "I picked up a knife and started to cut the snakes..." He halted, side-glancing at Naruto.

The blond boy was frowning, but he didn't look like he was going to interrupt.

So Sasuke went on. "I cut the snakes into pieces, and hide them under my mattress like before. And I still slept on the bed afterwards. The end."

Naruto still had his brow furrowed.

"What?" Sasuke asked. "Grossed out?"

Naruto blinked.

"No," the blond boy said. "Actually, I might have heard something similar to your dream. Something Kurenai said. Kurenai, the Art teacher? She's into dreams and sub-consciousness and stuff like that, y'know."

"So, you have a theory of what my repulsive dream could mean?" Sasuke propped up his cheek with his right fist, facing Naruto directly.

"No, I'm not that good," Naruto said. "But I bet a dream like that could mean something. Maybe it's a key to your current problems."

Sasuke felt himself raising an eyebrow. "Yeah?" _How could Naruto know what kind of problems he had? If he didn't know, he was too arrogant to assume so, wasn't it?_ He knew that he shouldn't be so easily affected, but Naruto just stepped on a land mine.

"Probably," Naruto said, completely oblivious of Sasuke's rising anger.

"Now that we got every detail of our hidden desires, finish that stupid assignment you so desperately need," Sasuke said, pushing the paper toward Naruto.

Naruto looked at him, confused. "Okay. Thank you?"

Sasuke glanced at the doorway. _Why hadn't the teacher came?_ What kind of school was this? Forcing students to discuss private matters and draw idiotic illustrations like grade school kids. Couldn't they just teach student the history of modern art or Impressionism or stuff like that just like his old high school? He only wished the teacher could come and started the lecture already, so he didn't need to talk to Naruto anymore. He really wanted to get rid of any unwanted attention, and finish his day in peace... He regretted that he told Naruto his dream; he should have just made something up, something like...having sex with a cute chick, et cetera. Yeah, that sounded really dumb, but that sounded like a normal, horny teenager, right? At least it was nothing close to his snake-cutting, shitty, perverted dreams. Maybe his hidden desire was killing and cutting the corpses into pieces. Very well.

"I want to draw a house here," Naruto suddenly turned towards him, pointing the upper part of the sheet. "But dude, I don't know how to draw a house."

Sasuke glared at the paper, now with some very childish drawing on it. Naruto already drawn some snakes, which...were cut up to pieces. And he even drew eyes and dapples on the snakes. There was a bed on top of the broken snakes, and above that was blank space.

Sasuke snatched the pencil away from Naruto's hand, noting how their skin tone contrasted with one another ( _Naruto's tan hand with visible joints, and Sasuke's own pale one with long, well-shaped fingers_ ). He started to draw the outline a house.

"Whoa." Naruto sounded impressed. "You _know_ how to draw. My friend Sai will be shocked."

"Not really," Sasuke said with annoyance. "It's only better than your stupid doodle."

Naruto glared.

"There you go," Sasuke threw the pencil back at Naruto, and pushed the paper away. "It's done."

"You're kind of rude," Naruto said thoughtfully, nodding to himself.

"Beg your pardon?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"I was about to thank you for sharing your dream with me," Naruto said. "Obviously it's kind of hard for you, since you think it's all gory and disgusting. And then you got all stuck-up and annoying. Seriously, what's wrong with you?"

Sasuke gaped. "Me? _Annoying?_ "

He had never been called _annoying_ before... _it was always the other way around_.

And then a woman walked into the classroom. It was the teacher.

Good...he didn't need to deal with Naruto anymore.

3

Washing his hands in the bathroom, Sasuke tried hard to block away the voice that had been plaguing his mind.

He still seemed to hear it.

 _...Seriously, what's wrong with you?_

Could the boy named Naruto really be that sharp?

Had he perceived Sasuke's _wretchedness_ already?

No, Sasuke didn't think so. Who was this Naruto anyway? He was just another—Sasuke thought harshly— _weird_ boy who seemed to open up easily to strangers. It was Naruto who was being abnormal, not Sasuke. Whatever. Maybe both of them were weird. Anyway...Sasuke couldn't care less.

Man. But that _stung_.

 _What's wrong with you?_

"Sasuke?" Itachi was calling for him. "Dinner's ready."

Sasuke closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

 _(tbc)_

* * *

 _Hi guys. How I'm amazed again by people's maturity when it comes to Internet's anonymity. LMAO. If I hadn't known better. Didn't I say that 'Pray leave if this isn't your dish'? Oh well, it seems like some of you have a little problem reading that sentence._

 _I know I have another story yet to finish. If I'm inspired, I'll finish it someday. I'm bad with promise, I know._

 _Again, you're my friends if you enjoy this story. Please comment if you find anything worth mentioning. I'd love it._


	4. It's Not About Fiction!

**IV: It's Not About Fiction!**

* * *

1

 _Itachi gazed down at his eight-year-old little brother, who was curling into a small ball on the floor before him._

"… _What do you mean they're not coming home?"_

 _Sasuke asked_ _almost inaudibly_ _._

 _Itachi stood rooted to the ground, still staring at Sasuke. He didn't like the way his brother's huge black eyes lost their usual brightness, or the way the younger boy tried to avoid eye contact_ _with him_ _._

"… _There was an…accident," Itachi fought with the words. Never in his life had he felt so difficult_ _to express himself_ _. He closed his eyes and repeated to himself,_ I've thought this through…I can do it…

" _Accident…?" Sasuke repeated._

 _Itachi felt as if his heart was being ripped apart._ _He wished he could escape this room. He wished he never had to say these things to Sasuke. But if he didn't do it, who would then? He didn't trust the others._

 _But he didn't trust himself this time, either._

" _Yeah…" He mumbled feebly. "Mother and father…they…something happened when they were…"_

"They died _," Sasuke said in a cold voice_ _, his face blank and almost lifeless._ _"Didn't they?"_

 _Itachi wanted to grabbed Sasuke's shoulder and shook him hard._ What did you do to my brother? _He wanted to yell at Sasuke's face, because the boy, with his voice_ _cold as ice,_ _was nothing like_ _the_ _sweet,_ _engaging_ _kid Itachi used to know_ _._

 _Sasuke suddenly_ _stared_ _at him._

" _I'll never see them again, right?" He asked._

 _Itachi nodded_ _hesitantly_ _._

" _That's all I need to know," Sasuke stood up, and exited the room._

 _Itachi watched his brother leave._ _Sasuke looked so frail under the pale hallway light._

 _He didn't know how to tell Sasuke…_

 _...That_ _it_ wasn't an accident _._

 _But he knew that he had lost the chance._

2

Itachi made spaghetti tonight. Spaghetti with homemade Bolognese sauce. He had confidence that Sasuke would like it. Itachi didn't mind eating tomato every night anyway. Tomato was healthy, and its sweet and sour flavor was very appetizing.

A small noise caught Itachi's attention. He glanced toward the source of the noise and saw that it was Sasuke's phone on the kitchen table. Sasuke had gone to the bathroom, leaving his phone here.

A message popped up on the screen. Itachi didn't mean to pry, but he already saw it.

 _Sasuke, I just went to Obito's apartment. You didn't bring your meds with you. Could you write me back? Kakashi_

Itachi frowned. _Medication?_ And why did this man ( _Kakashi sounded like a male name_ ) have the access to Obito's apartment? Kakashi was the person who called Sasuke last Sunday, wasn't he?

"Sasuke," he called. "Dinner's ready."

He should pretend that he had never seen the message. It was probably for the best.

A moment later, Sasuke entered the dining room, which was actually connected to the kitchen. He had already discarded the school attire, and was now dressing in a black sweater and a pair of jeans.

Sasuke picked up his phone from the table and shoved it into his pocket. He sat down, pulling one of the plates near him. Seeing that Itach didn't move or sit down, he glanced at his brother with a frown.

"Aren't you going to sit down?" He asked.

Itachi gazed back at him. "…Yeah."

… _Medication._

"Sasuke," Itachi hesitated. "…I'm wondering, if there's anything you're allergic to? That you can't eat?"

"Why?" Sasuke asked a little suspiciously.

"I need to make sure since I'm cooking all our meals."

"There's nothing I can't eat. Just no _natto_ and sweets."

 _But you used to love the cookies mom baked us,_ Itachi said inwardly.

He had asked the question because he knew that, sometimes, while on medication, patients weren't supposed to eat certain kinds of food. He had thought that maybe Sasuke would reveal something about the _medication_ the message had mentioned. But…

Sasuke was wary.

"Okay," Itachi feigned a smile, sitting down across his brother.

The atmosphere in the dining room became heavy after Itachi posed the question. But he didn't regret it. If Sasuke was on something, or had some kind of sickness that he didn't know about...

"How's your first day in high school?" He asked.

"Nothing worth mentioning," Sasuke replied.

"Did you introduce yourself properly?"

"I don't think so. Aren't you the one who told me I should just _be myself_?" Sasuke said sarcastically.

"And? Did you do it?" Itachi curled the spaghetti around his fork elegantly.

Sasuke shrugged. "I just wanted them to shut up and stop asking me questions," he said gloomily.

"What kind of questions did they ask you?"

"Insensitive ones. Insensitive. And boring."

"Well, they are sixteen-year-olds."

"A girl asked me out," Sasuke sneered.

Itachi chuckled. "And you rejected her?"

"What choice did I have?"

"Why didn't you give her a chance?"

"Why should I? We barely know each other."

"You will get to know her, gradually."

"I have better things to do."

"Like...?"

"Lie on my bed and do nothing," Sasuke said wryly.

"Sounds nice, Sasuke."

"Would you date her? Given my position," Sasuke asked, arching an eyebrow.

Itachi shook his head.

"You're weird," Sasuke smirked.

"Well, I'm your brother, Sasuke."

"Sounds reasonable."

Itachi watched his little brother shrug again. He smiled.

"You don't like girls."

Sasuke stared at him. "Maybe? At least I'm not asexual like you."

"You are mocking my sexuality?"

"Yes," Sasuke said.

And they dropped the matter.

3

After dinner, Itachi went to work in his study. When he finished it, he found Sasuke in the living room, lazily watching Lars von Trier's _Dogville_ on DVD.

"I thought you despise fiction," Itachi sat down beside his little brother on the sofa.

"Drop it, Itachi. I don't _despise_ it. I just _prefer_ non-fiction."

"That's not what you told me...last time."

"Is it really that important to you?"

"No, obviously. I was just teasing you," Itachi said passively.

Sasuke shot him a look, and Itachi snickered.

"What's so funny?" Sasuke asked, irritated.

"Is it wrong to find my little brother adorable?"

Sasuke faked a puking noise.

"Why are you watching the movie?"

"Because I'm tired and I want to relax, by watching people pretend to be happy, hurt, and in despair."

"That doesn't sound right."

"I know. And it's not my first time hearing that comment."

"So, are you enjoying the show?"

Sasuke nodded languidly. "Yeah, so far. Your DVD collections are impressive, I gotta say."

"Thank you for your compliment."

"...If you ever become a serial killer, those things would be on the evidence list of your motivation, you know? ' _A single, cynical young man who has aspired to debunk goodness of humanity'_."

"Again, thanks."

Sasuke chuckled darkly.

"You're welcome to access my private blue-ray collection."

"That wouldn't be...necessary, since I take you for an asexual," Sasuke mocked.

"I'm not going to lend you pornography, Sasuke."

"I'm not even gonna imagine what kind of porn you indulge yourself in..." Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Even if I'm really asexual, you're very rude."

"Well then, I'm sorry," Sasuke said, not sounding sorry at all.

They watched the TV in silence for a moment.

"Kidney failure," Sasuke said suddenly.

Itachi glanced at him.

"The cause of Obito's death," Sasuke said.

"Death always caught up to people in most unexpected ways," Itachi muttered. _Like mom and dad._

"I couldn't feel grief," Sasuke said lowly, as he watched the gangsters kill all the villagers and burn down Dogville on the screen. "Nor loss. Nothing."

"You don't have to—"

"I don't have to grieve?"

"Perhaps."

"It's not like with dad and mom," Sasuke said. "I..." He stopped, furrowing his brows.

Itachi waited for him to finish; but Sasuke became quiet.

They didn't speak for minutes, just pretended to watch the film. Soon, joyous music erupted as the movie came to an end, showing ending credits.

"Why did they have to use such flamboyant song on such a tragic play?" Sasuke frowned. "I mean, it's good, but it's kind of disturbing."

"I believe it's what people call _irony_ , _Otouto_ ," Itachi smiled. "And yes, I think they intended to disturb you the whole time you're watching it. That's why I like this film. Have you watched Lars von Trier's other works before?"

"No."

"Ah, what a shame. Do you always watch films like these?"

"I don't know. But if you ask me which film I like the best, it's definitely not _The Godfather_."

Itachi smirked.

"Nothing against Marlon Brando though," Sasuke said. "By the way, _Apocalypse Now_ is classic. I like how they used that song, _The End_."

"You need more comedies in your life, my foolish little brother," Itachi gently said. "If you think about it, life is pretty much a joke."

"You mean _your_ life?" Sasuke cocked an eyebrow. "Which I totally agree. What a farce."

"I wasn't kidding."

"Says the man who said that life is but a joke."

"After all, we live together now, Sasuke. Don't you think that's very comical?"

"Yeah. When I was thirteen, I used to want to kill you," Sasuke said with a slight, distant smile. "I would go to sleep with a knife under my pillow. And before I fell asleep, I would imagine stabbing you to death. Man, those days. You have no idea."

Itachi laughed heartily. He knew that Sasuke used to hate him, but to hear it from Sasuke's mouth...

"Why are you laughing?" Sasuke didn't seem pleased at his elder brother's response. "Yeah, 'cause you always find them funny. Everything's perhaps a joke to you?"

"Yes. But no." Itachi stopped himself. "It's just that...I've never heard you say anything about it before. Your frankness... I guess I'm just amused."

"You want more gruesome details?" Sasuke asked mockingly.

"Indulge me?"

"I came up with several scenarios in which I hunt you down and kill you; sometimes you would survive and escape, and then I have to track you down again. And I wouldn't use a gun. There was always torture before the final blow. I remember I even wrote a short story on that theme and turned it in for an English assignment. My teacher was quite shocked and distressed."

"Poor soul. Did you do it on purpose?"

"Of course not. I was just in need of a story when I was suddenly struck with the idea. You know I dislike fiction, but if you are to die in that story...hmm..."

"Foolish."

"Stop calling me foolish."

"Why did you choose to come here?" Itachi asked all of a sudden.

Sasuke looked surprised. "What?"

"You chose to come live with me when you could have stayed in Oto."

"Because I don't want to live with some relative I don't really know about."

"But you hate me."

Sasuke stared.

Itachi gazed back at him.

"...I _hated_ you," the younger boy finally said in a small, but clear voice. "But not anymore."

"Why?"

Sasuke sighed and stood up, turning away.

"It's not gonna bring them back," he said slowly. "My hatred. It's not going to save mom and dad, nor you and me."

Itachi watched Sasuke walk toward the door.

"We're on our own now," the boy said, a hint of bitterness seeped through his voice.

Then he left the room.

4

Sasuke had thought about it.

He had thought that...maybe, just maybe.

Maybe he was wrong.

He knew that he was short-tempered and moody, like a lonely old woman (or a teenage boy without a boy/girlfriend or _just friend in genera_ l).

But he shouldn't have spoken to Naruto like that.

Naruto? The blond boy with blue, _blue_ eyes.

 _(They were entrancing indeed.)_

But in his mind, Naruto's face and words kept re-playing.

 _Maybe it's a key to your current problems._

 _...Seriously, what's wrong with you?_

Naruto assumed that he, Sasuke, had problems. Wasn't that just insulting?

Sasuke shifted uneasily in his chair.

It was noon. The bell had just rung.

Sasuke got up, sweeping all the stuff on the table into his backpack, and followed other students out the classroom.

There were still many people ogling him on the hallway, in the classroom, or just _whatever_ place in the school. Students would come up, asking him questions out of curiosity, but he guessed that his aloofness kept them away.

He felt sorry for them, even. But he didn't think that he would change. His words meant nothing to them anyway. They would soon forget about him, because he didn't really matter. What he was now was just something fresh and temporary. He wouldn't stay in their attention forever. So why bother? He might as well fade into a shade of grey now. After all, he only cared about himself. And really, people should only care about themselves.

He went to the school cafeteria and found a quiet corner so he could eat his lunch alone and in peace.

To his dismay, the dining area was soon filled up with students that had just got dismissed from their classes.

"Can I sit here?" An unfamiliar voice asked in a smooth, airy tone.

Sasuke glanced up. It was a boy with weird bluish-white hair, a tray in his hands. He was looking at Sasuke with a look as if he was going to sit across Sasuke no matter what Sasuke said. The boy wasn't wearing a school jacket; his collar and tie were also loose.

"It's unoccupied," Sasuke replied, continued to eat his lunch.

"I'll take the seats," the boy said, and turned around. "Karin! Juugo! Here!"

Shortly, there were two other kids joining him—a red-haired girl wearing glasses, and a huge boy.

"Karin, I need to copy your algebra answers," the white haired boy said to the girl.

"Yeah? _And_ you areasking me now? Like I'll give 'em to you," the glasses girl said. "Apologize first. And beg."

"C'mon, I didn't mean to point it out that your new hairstyle is terrible."

"That's not an apology!"

"I will smile and tell you you're gorgeous, will you forgive me and let me copy your assignment now?"

"Suigetsu!"

"Alright! Alright! Sorry, Karin. Your hair is fine. I'm sure that all the boys in the school will be dazed."

"Now we're talking," Karin snorted.

Sasuke thought that she stole a glance at him.

"Juugo, when's the first game?" Suigetsu asked absent-mindedly.

The tall boy finally spoke, "The basketball game? It's a week before Christmas."

"Oh, where will it be? Suna High School?"

"Yeah. It'll be in their gym."

"I think I'll come, if I can find myself a date."

"Isn't cheering for Juugo more important than your date?" Karin frowned.

"It depends. But Juugo won't mind it. Right, Juugo?"

"I don't mind at all," Juugo said.

"See?" Suigetsu grinned, showing his small, sharp teeth.

Juugo stood up, "I gotta go. Gotta catch my next class."

"Now? There're still plenty of time," Karin said. "And you finished your lunch?"

Juugo looked at his empty plate and bowl, and shrugged. "I haven't finished my paper yet."

He left with his tray.

"I wish you could be more like him," Karin spat, glaring at Suigetsu. "All you know is copy answers off other people's notebook."

"The swimming team's trainings has started," Suigetsu said. "Every night I go home completely drained-out. I have no time left for homework and such."

"Come on, you just stare at other boys' crotches the whole time during your so-called training." Karin rolled her eyes.

"You'll do the same thing if you're given my position," Suigetsu argued with an impish smirk.

"I won't."

"Liar."

"Your cousin."

Karin frowned. "What about him?"

"He signed up for the swimming team last week."

"You're still taking people in?"

"Our coach is very impressed with his athletic capability."

"So he was granted with special treatment?"

"Not exactly," Suigetsu said. "But that's not the point. The point is."

"What? You should just finish your sentence."

"He. Is. Hot."

"He's my _cousin_ , no matter how distant," Karin shook her head.

"I mean…his abs…"

"Suigetsu, I don't want to have this conversation with you! If you're gonna talk about Naruto's anatomy with me the whole time I eat…"

Sasuke didn't mean to overhear, but they were just sitting beside him—it was hard not to. And they kept looking this way.

"Karin, you don't understand! The swimming pool, with its _arousingly_ cool, soothing water, the smell of chlorine, and a bunch of teenage flesh, all so athletic and…the defined abs… The sex tension!"

 _Yeah, Sasuke got the picture._

"Suigetsu, you're getting on my nerves!"

"Can't you feel it? I think I'm giving you a vivid description."

"It's too explicit for me."

"Oh, don't give me that _'I'm a decent girl who comes from a decent family'_ shit! You're just as corrupted, Karin!"

"Suigetsu, I'm leaving."

"Wait, I need your algebra notebook!"

"You can't even properly apologize! The second day I was dumped by my boyfriend, you mocked my new hair color and hairstyle! You don't understand how fragile a teenage girl is!"

"C'mon, Karin! You're not fragile!"

The girl pushed her glasses, got up, and left.

Sasuke was left with the boy with sharp-teeth ( _and obsession with his fellow teammates_ ).

"She's unbelievable," Suigetsu muttered.

It took Sasuke a moment to realize that Suigetsu was addressing him.

"I can show you the answers," Sasuke said.

He didn't know why he said it.

"You mean algebra?" Suigetsu asked.

"Yeah. It's actually quite simple."

 _(tbc)_

* * *

 _Hi! Long time no see. I was reading you guys' reviews again last night. And even though there weren't much, I was very much moved by your words. Thank you for your reviews. Actually I've already written six chapters, but I haven't published them all because some of them have not yet been edited. Well, I felt obligated to upload this one. Sorry for the long time, I've been busy. Again, thank you all!_


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